DAYTON, Ohio – The University of Dayton women’s volleyball team announced the addition of four players for the 2013 season on National Signing Day Wednesday.
 
The Flyers will be joined next year by four outstanding high school players that are all on the Under Armour High School All-America Watch list.  These four high school standouts will be the next great class in Dayton volleyball history.

The four recruits are Alyssa Beach, Rachel Fortner, Taylor Fricano, and Lauren Gresham. Together, they hope to help bring the Flyers their 11th Atlantic 10 title in 2013.

Alyssa Beach - 2013 Position - Middle Blocker Height - 6'3” High School - Perrysburg HS Club - Premier Hometown - Perrysburg, OH Mother and Father - Sarah and Bill Beach Siblings – Brothers Parker and Max Major – Medicine

Alyssa Beach will join the Flyers from Perrysburg, Ohio where she was a standout middle blocker. 

As a senior, the 6’3” Beach was recognized on the Under Armour All-American watch list, the PrepVolleyball.com Senior Ace list, and the MaxPrep Rankings in kills and blocks (No. 1 and No. 3 respectively) for middle hitters.  In her junior season, Beach set a school record for attack percentage (.481), was named NLL First Team and District 7 Second Team.  She also helped her team to a fifth place finish at the AAU 18s Nationals and received the Premier Volleyball IQ Award.  Beach was also a varsity letter winner as a freshman and sophomore and was part of a very successful AAU squad.

“Words cannot express how excited I am to officially become a Flyer,” said Beach.  “Ever since I stepped foot on campus, I knew The University of Dayton was a special place.  It is a place where I find myself happy and never want to leave.  I absolutely love the team and coaching staff and cannot wait until I get to be there every day.  I can honestly say that becoming a part of this program is a dream come true.  It proves that hard work and determination do pay off in the end.  I’m pumped to start the next step of my volleyball career as a Dayton Flyer.”

Sheffield’s Thoughts:
"I think Alyssa is the sleeper in this class,” said Sheffield.  “She has great size and athleticism.  She reminds me a little of Bethany Akerhielm, who turned out to be one of the best middles in our program's history, and if Alyssa can reach her potential like Bethany did we'll be in really good shape. 
She is really good off of one foot and has the potential to be a really good college blocker.  I'd like to see her play with a little more of an edge to her and I think she's developing that.  Alyssa's a great kid and has come down here a lot the past couple of years, and that will only help her be better prepared. Her future is really bright and I am really looking forward to coaching her."

Rachel Fortner – 2013 Position – Setter Height – 5’11” High School – St. Henry HS Club – Elevation Hometown –  Erlanger, KY Mother and Father – Julie and Jim Fortner Siblings – Erick, Erin, Adam, Leah Major – Undecided

Rachel Fortner will cross the state lines from Erlanger, Ky. to join Dayton in 2013.

The 5’11” setter played at St. Henry High School, where she was a five-time varsity letter winner and the 57th ranked recruit in the country by PrepVolleyball.  In her senior season, Fortner totaled 269 kills, 56 service aces, 196 digs, and 481 assists en route to District MVP honors.  She is also an All-Region, All-State, and All-District performer, as well as first team All-Northern Kentucky Division 2 MVP.  Fortner was named first team All-State as a junior and senior and second team All-State as a sophomore.

"I am very excited to become part of the Flyer family,” said Fortner.  “I cannot wait until I walk on the court and put on the uniform to represent my school. But most importantly,  I'm excited to spend the next part of my life up at the University of Dayton where I will develop into a strong and dedicated leader. "

Sheffield’s Thoughts:
"Rachel is a winner, period,” said Sheffield.  “Losing never enters into the equation with her.  She plays with incredible energy and a level of enthusiasm that is contagious.  Her teammates play hard for her.  She was the first commitment in this class.  She is athletic, moves well, and consistently puts up a hittable ball.  If Rachel puts in the everyday work that the best setters in the sport are doing, there is no question she could end up being one of them."

Taylor Fricano – 2013 Position – Outside Hitter Height – 6’3” High School – Palatine HS Club – Sky High Hometown –  Palatine, IL Mother and Father – Linn and Anthony Siblings – Two brothers, Anthony and Joe Major – Law, psychology, or art

Taylor Fricano has been tabbed as the 33rd ranked recruit in the country according to PrepVolleyball.

She is an All-Conference performer from Palatine High School in Palatine, Illinois.  As a senior, the 6’3” outside hitter racked up 293 kills, 41 service aces, 43 blocks and 231 digs for the Pirates.  She was named MSL Player of the Year, as well as All-Area.  Fricano is also an All-American nominee and helped lead her team to conference and regional championships as a senior.  She was named MVP this past year for Palatine as well.

“It is an honor to be playing for such a prestigious, hardworking program,” said Fricano.  “I can’t wait to represent my town, my high school, and my family.”

Sheffield’s Thoughts:
"Taylor Fricano will be a beast,” said Sheffield.  “She has the least amount of experience coming in as any player I've ever recruited.  She also just might have the most upside of any player I've ever brought in.  Taylor has great size and athleticism, and has the desire to be great.  She broke Isolde Hannan's summer camp record when she touched 10'4 last year.  She can play either pin and has a physical presence at the net that you don't see a lot of."

Lauren Gresham – 2013 Position – Outside Hitter Height – 6’2” High School – St. Joseph’s Academy Club – St. Louis CYC Hometown –  Wildwood, MO Mother and Father – Mindy and Dave Gresham Siblings – Sisters Morgan and Madison Major – Health Sciences

Lauren Gresham is a 6’2” outside hitter from Wildwood, Mo. and a four-time Academic All-State player. 

Coming to Dayton from St. Joseph’s Academy, Gresham is on the AVCA/Under Armour All-American watch list as a senior.  This past year, she was also named All-State honorable mention, second team All-Region, first team All-District, and PrepVolleyball Senior Ace.  She also helped her team to the Missouri Class 4A State Championship in 2010 and a fourth-place finish in 2009.

“Dayton is the perfect fit for me athletically, as well as academically” said Gresham.  “I love the entire coaching staff, who stuck with me through my injury last year.  I cannot wait to play for a school with so much support for the volleyball team and with a group of girls so hard-working and dedicated.”

Sheffield’s Thoughts:
"Lauren comes from one of the top high school programs in the country,” said Sheffield.  “She tore her ACL a little over a year ago and was absolutely possessed during her rehab.  She has a good arm, a nice top-spin jumper, and is a really good ball control player.  She's a six-rotation kid and is the most experienced of the players we have coming in.  She's played in a lot of big matches over the years.  There's a toughness and competitive edge to Lauren that I really like, and a warrior-like attitude that all of our best players have."

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Beach, Fortner, Fricano, and Gresham will look to uphold Dayton Volleyball's tradition of excellence both on the court and in the classroom. Sheffield believes this freshman class has the talent and the ability to do just that.

“Based on potential, this is a great class, maybe even one of the best around,” said head coach Kelly Sheffield.  “It'll be interesting to see if the individual players are able to max out and reach their individual potential.  If so, then look out.  All four of them have had really good coaching and come from great programs.  They have experienced a lot of winning and expect it.  They are all really good kids that come from good families, understand the importance of a great education, and seem outwardly fired up to be Dayton Flyers.  I think they have a love for the game and a passion to be great.  They give us some much needed size and make us a more athletic team.  I am extremely excited to get them on campus and start working with them.”